Live Voyage Preview: Silver Galapagos

Discovering the Galapagos Islands with Silversea

Silver Galapagos will have just emerged from a refit when we sail her this October. Photo courtesy of Silversea

Twenty years ago, Silversea began offering luxury cruises with just a single ship. Now, they have a fleet of eight, comprised of five classic luxury cruise ships and three dedicated luxury expedition vessels.

On each voyage, I have been struck by the depth of Silversea’s expedition itineraries and the sheer number of experiences that can be rolled into just a few short days; things like hiking on deserted islands, flying over mountain ranges or enjoying sunset cocktails on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean. These are journeys where guests were up before dawn on certain days and turned in well after midnight. They’re busy, active voyages – but when the hard work ashore is done, Silversea’s signature luxury kicks in. There’s nothing like coming back to the ship after a long day of exploration to a cold towel and a fresh cocktail waiting for you, all complimentary.

Silver Galapagos sails both Western (pictured) and Northern Itineraries. Did you know that, due to Galapagos regulations, ships cannot call on the same port twice in 14 days, hence the two itineraries? Illustration courtesy of Silversea.

On October 3, 2014, I’ll travel to Quito, Ecuador for an overnight stay before flying to San Cristobal to embark Silver Galapagos on a special modified version of her Western Darwin Discoveries Itinerary, Voyage 8436. The full itinerary, both here and onboard:

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Normally, both Northern and Western Silver Galapagos itineraries operate roundtrip from Baltra, but our special voyage begins in San Cristobal – for good reason. For the month of September, Silver Galapagos will undergo a month-long refurbishment that will better align her with her luxury expedition sisters, Silver Explorer and Silver Discoverer. Areas scheduled to be refitted include all suites, passenger corridors, and the Explorer Lounge.

Silver Galapagos was refitted prior to entering service with Silversea last year, and will be refitted again this September to better align her with her luxury expedition fleetmates. Pictured here is the ship’s Main Lounge, prior to her refit. Photo courtesy of Silversea.

Just in time for her first anniversary, Silver Galapagos will feature a new elegant blue-and-beige colour scheme that was developed for the Silver Discoverer. The new colour palette also helps to act as a differentiator from Silversea’s classic fleet of ultra-luxury cruise ships, many of which feature hues of red accented with Art Deco shades of green, brown and beige.

Once the refit is complete, Silver Galapagos will sail for San Cristobal, where her guests will embark on Saturday, October 4.